I'm with you on this Sodar. Not that I'm in the market for a new boat, but if I was the 214 would be my first or second boat at which to look (the other would be the 197). I'm already not a fan of the layout, but having to get the ski off the tower then go to the back of the boat......just isn't as nice as opening a trunk right there and getting ready.

Your idea of the X-14 keeping the current layout and having the 214 changed to a traditional layout is simplistically brilliant! I like it.

I have no quarrel with those thoughts by Planet and Sodar on what might be a better layout -- I was simply making a suggestion on how to handle the storage the way the boats are set up currently -- which is what I understood the thread starter to ask.

A tower is better than stumbling over the ski's all over the cockpit floor. At least you have a small locker for the gloves, foot soap, etc on the back.

coming from a '93 205 to an x-14, I have no problem at all with storage. I am the only one who still skis, and mine goes under observer seat/port bow. We do have slalom racks on tower, but the kids boards go there. As mentioned before, vests, ropes, cushions, go in the stbd locker, and bumbers, lines, anything else goes under bow seats. We keep towels, cooler, snacks under observer as well, nothing on the floor.

I can see where storage would be an issue coming from a larger boat, but coming from my 205, I couldn't be happier.

We'll just be lucky if the 214DD stays around given the success of the 214/ X14V. I asked Norm Krauss why they don't offer the 214 in conventional layout and he basically said that 'everybody's already done that'. Personally I love the layout. But I've already said that a thousand or so times.

I love our 214 layout ... a conventional rear seat and deck would be cool as well .... since we have the 214 without ballast, we use the ski locker for our skis. I will add slalom racks in the future to our minitower. plenty of storage!

We'll just be lucky if the 214DD stays around given the success of the 214/ X14V. I asked Norm Krauss why they don't offer the 214 in conventional layout and he basically said that 'everybody's already done that'. Personally I love the layout. But I've already said that a thousand or so times.

Would be a bad mistake to remove the 14 in favor of the 14v's totally. Different boats. Different markets.

so if you really want a cross over boat - one that you can realistically run a slalom course, have a decent wakeboarding wake (built in ballast), barefoot capable, and have a little bit of room - what is the boat of choice? X1? X2? X9? X14V?

so if you really want a cross over boat - one that you can realistically run a slalom course, have a decent wakeboarding wake (built in ballast), barefoot capable, and have a little bit of room - what is the boat of choice? X1? X2? X9? X14V?

If you are going to run the Course, the X14 from your list above makes the cut. You left out a X7 (you may already have one like it based on your name )

I have a 214 without ballast and full tower (no ballast/Mini) since we use it mostly for skiing.

I would want the ballast for more serious pursuit of wakeboarding, etc. So an X14 is tough to beat for an all round capable boat that can truly handle the course (including the tracking and driveability that you need for smaller ski lakes) The built-in ballast steals some of your ski locker space, so make sure you get board/ski racks if you go with a X14 ... the rest of the storage on the X14/214 is super plentiful ... under the observer / the bow seats / the whole J-seat is storage ...